Veterans Push for Mental Health Support
Operation Recovery wants to press top officers to help erase the stigma of mental health care. Photo by Filipa Rodrigues/KUT NewsAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Veterans and their supporters gathered at Fort Hood today to share mental health information with soldiers.
Operation Recovery, whose members passed out fliers to soldiers on their way onto post this morning, says it strives to improve access to care for soldiers who suffer things like post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.
Organizers say another part of their mission is to keep these so-called traumatized troops from returning to war before they’ve recovered.
“I think it could be solved if everyone in the chain of command knows that the general here thinks that there shouldn’t be stigma attached to that care,” said Jason Matherne, who served in the Navy from 2004 to 2009. He was deployed to the Middle East in 2008 and now works with Operation Recovery.
He says today’s demonstration at Fort Hood hoped to get Gen. Donald Campbell to speak out in support of existing military policies, including one about reducing stigma for soldiers seeking mental health care.
“I think soldiers would be given the space and the time to actually seek that care like if they need to go to a medical appointment and they won’t feel that pressure, ‘Oh, there’s something wrong with you? Well, too bad, suck it up,’” Matherne said.
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There is a film, War-Torn which tells the history of PTSD,( which has had many different names depending on the war) from 1861 to 2010. It is very moving and makes one understand that we humans are not made to kill other humans.. Following the film, there is a special report of a panel made up of mainly Pentagon and medical personel. They keep talking almost gayly about a new program where by they will “build resilence” in the troups. The only vet who speaks tells of his own problems and mentions that a friend suggested that we just not have wars anymore. He then said, “but that is not reality.” We must make it a reality! There was not talk of the # of vets on the waiting list for help at a VA and those who are miles from any and need immediate help. Disgusting! Lee Loe, Houston Grandmother for Peace –and Sanity!